Crypta – Echoes Of The Soul
Brazil / The Netherlands
Napalm Records
Last
year, Fernanda Lira (bass, vocals) and Luna Dametto (Drums) decided
to leave Nervosa and pull out a new project called Crypta. It has the
participation of Taina Bergamaschi (Ex-Hagbard) and Sonia Annubis
(Ex-Burning Witches, Cobra Spell) on guitars.
Since
its announcement the band has generated quite a fuss, and now that
they’ve recently released their debut album, let's take a walk
through the slimy and gloomy corridors of CRYPTA!
I
advise you to put on your headphones, because the intro to this
album, "Awakening," reflects perfectly the album cover and
will transport us at once beyond the mortal realm and towards the
concept proposed by the group. The tombstone is opened wide, and from
it arises an onslaught of pure soul-crushing brutality, like feral
beasts emerging (as if Pandora's box were being opened). Fernanda's
screams (a little deeper than usual) emanate deep from within the
grave, as demonstrated on the first track, "Starvation,"
which is self-explanatory in how it talks about death due to lack of
food. Admittedly, I’m quite fond of the structure and theme, which
gives the impression that it was barfed out by some hideous creature.
The vocals are profoundly aggressive, high-pitched, and pleasant to
listen to. Fast riffs and drums slam into your ears like a hail of
bullets. References like Morbid Angel and Sinister comes to mind in
terms of the precision and speed they play their instruments. All
this is supported by a rather stellar production. It’s forceful and
fierce like the infernal shadow of death! I will point this out
though, as a fan of classic death metal (the most repulsive kind)
this album does sound a bit modern (and by this I mean that the
melodic parts are clearly more modern than the moments of sick fury)
but maybe that’s a good thing for the genre – to bring something
fresh for all the death-maniacs to sink their teeth into. (Catacombs
Walker)